The Supreme Court in Hyderabad began its first hearing on Thursday morning to consider Rajava Dasari’s petition concerning her son, Aravind Dasari, who travelled to Riyadh in February to work in packaging at a factory, only to find himself living the life of a goat in the desert and subjected to modern slavery.

The mother’s requests before the court include:

• Rescuing her son from the desert outside Riyadh and returning him to India.
• Enacting laws requiring the Government of India to protect Indian workers in Saudi Arabia.
• Requiring the Indian government to ensure respect for Indian nationals in Saudi Arabia and to give the rights of Indian workers the highest priority in its daily work.